Um Jammer Lammy: Crap Crapper Crappy?


By Contributing Writer Rob Pecknold
   The original PaRappa the Rapper was well recieved in most circles of
gaming, mainly those interested in Japanese culture.  The Land of the 
Rising Sun will soon see the release of Un Jammer Lammy, the oddly-titled 
spiritual successor to PaRappa.  Un Jammer Lammy is being made by the same 
development team at Sony that made the original title so odd.  
Unfortunately, while the game is nearing completion, things aren't looking 
very bright.
   While PaRappa was quirky in its style, but global in its appeal, Um 
Jammer Lammy looks to be just quirky.  First off, here's the lowdown on the
story line: You are Lammy, a lamb (no word yet if it's a clone or not- stay 
tuned) in the rock band Milkcan.  Supposedly, they have collected all 
animals who can produce milk and placed them in a can... hmmm... Well, 
speaking of animals, other members of the band include Katy the Kat and 
Mah-san the Mouse.  Hmmm (you'll be seeing that a lot in this column).  
They are a rock band, so the music in the game will definitely be very
Un-PaRappa in its musical appeal.  Lammy, who plays the guitar, is 
obviously out to win some award with her band and wants to obtain super 
stardom.  Hmm.
   One of the problems immediately noticeable in Um Jammer Lammy is the 
title.  Um Jammer?  UM JAMMER?  First of all, what’s an Um?  And second of 
all, is Lammy really that jammin'?  Hmmm....  It looks like they were 
aiming for a title similar to PaRappa's, only reversed.  Hmm... (I should 
stop that, eh?).  Another thing this cookie cutter sequel seems to suffer 
from is blatant lack of originality.  It features a two-player mode, but 
that was something the original PaRappa should have had.  Other than that, 
it's basically PaRappa 1.5.  It's got improved graphics and new sound, but 
little else.  This is all based on what I’ve seen, mind you, not from what 
I've actually played, but right now Um Jammer Lammy looks like nothing more
than PaRappa- New N' Improved Version.  Not what I'd call innovation.
   I'm scared that Um Jammer Lammy is too much like PaRappa for its own 
good.  Tomb Raider is a prime example of if-it-ain't-broke-don't-fix-it 
syndrome, and Um Jammer looks like it suffers from the same disease as Tomb
Raider.  And rock music fitting into a softcore rap-style game isn't what 
I call quality, but I could be wrong.  We'll all know for sure later this 
year when Um Jammer Lammy is released in the US, won't we?

You can e-mail Rob at rob@mastergamer.com

Back To Special Features






/161">

© 2001 ivan@mastergamer.com